


Assumption of the Risk

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:19:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I'm Emily Prentiss, beaten by zealots; how's it going?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assumption of the Risk

“Give me the bag, Prentiss.” Hotch said as he opened the door.

“I got it.”

“Give me the bag, Prentiss.” He repeated.

“I can carry the bag.”

“I know you can carry the bag but that doesn’t mean that you're going to.” Hotch held out his hand. “Give me the bag.”

Emily made a noise of frustration, pushing the bag into his chest. Hotch made a slight ‘oof’ noise.

“Thank you.” He slung it over his shoulder and then held out his hand. “C'mon.”

“C'mon what? I'm not an invalid Hotch, I got it OK. Back up…please.”

He did what she asked, watching as Emily slowly made her way out of the SUV. Her steps were tentative and she tried to hide her grimace when she finally stood on both feet. She closed her eyes because she didn’t want to see his face when she blew out a breath.

“I can help.” He said.

“I don’t need…”

“Prentiss.”

“Stop calling me that!” She exclaimed, the sound echoing through the underground garage. When she looked at him he was still wearing that Hotch face. That face conveyed absolutely nothing. Sometimes she wanted to slap that face just to see how he would react. “I'm sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright. Sometimes, when I'm not feeling my best, I lash out. Its not you; its me. I am the world’s worst patient.”

“I think I might have you beat.” Hotch replied. “The doctor said you really needed to stay off the ankle as much as possible. Just let me help you.”

“Yeah.” Emily nodded, accepting Hotch’s arm around her waist. It wasn’t easy to put her arm around his shoulder as he was about 6” taller than she was so Emily put her arm around his waist too. The walk to the elevator was slow. “I'm really tired of getting my ass kicked you know.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“Hi, my name is Aaron Hotchner and I was blown up by terrorists…nice to meet you.”

“I'm Emily Prentiss, beaten by zealots; how's it going?”

Hotch smirked as he hit the up button on the elevator. Then he smiled a bit as Emily leaned her body on his while they waited. He turned his face away so she wouldn’t see. It wasn’t news to him that she was a bad patient and he didn’t want it to seem as if he was enjoying her injury. On the contrary, he had been really worried about her.

She’d pulled a Morgan in Omaha. They were chasing a suspect through the woods and she couldn’t seem to catch up with him. Prentiss leapt, she literally leapt, and took him down. She took herself down as well; they rolled down a hill. Hotch caught up at the bottom, watched her handcuff the bastard and pull him to his feet.

Hotch grabbed him and when Prentiss tried to walk away, she fell. Luckily Morgan was right behind them because he was the one who lifted Prentiss and took her back to the car and to the hospital. He always got to do the hero shit and no one ever questioned it. Hotch and Rossi took the suspect back to the station. He wasn’t their guy but the things he told them led the team to the Unsub.

Inside the elevator, Emily swiped her key card before pushing three. The Watergate took many precautions to keep tenants safe. It might not be difficult for someone unsavory to access the underground lot but they would not be able to move the elevator or open the stairwell doors without a key card. It wasn’t total safety but it was a good measure. She moved away from Hotch, leaning on the wall for support.

It only took a few minutes to get to the floor. When the door opened he held her close again and they started the slow walk down the hall. There were only four condos on the third floor but you had to walk nearly halfway down the hall before you got to her door. She fished the keys out of her pocket, grimacing again when she put too much weight on the ankle. It was a light sprain the doctor said but it felt like more than that. She opened the door and they went in together.

George came into the foyer, mewling loudly. Emily just looked at him.

“He’s not hungry.” She told Hotch. “Nat was here earlier and I know she fed him.”

“C'mon, let’s get you down and then I’ll worry about George.”

They walked, slowly, past the cat and Hotch helped Emily sit down on the couch. She exhaled and put her injured ankle up on the ottoman. He put her ready bag down and went into the kitchen to check on George’s food bowl. It was half full and so was the water. The Abyssinian still gave him a hopeful look and Hotch gave him just a little extra.

“Don’t feed him, Hotch.” Emily said, turning on the TV.

“I'm not.” He lied. “Are you hungry?”

“I'm starving actually, and I really want a beer.”

“Did you take any of the pills the doctor gave you?”

“Nope.” Emily shook her head.

A few minutes later Hotch came into the living room with a bottle of Miller High Life. He also had one for himself.

“You’ve got to get some better beer, Prentiss.”

“You can blame Morgan for this.” She popped the top off the bottle.

“Morgan brings beer to your house? Morgan comes to your house?”

“Sometimes we watch football together. I don’t know anything about the game but we like teaching each other new things.”

“Like what?” The Unit Chief raised his eyebrow.

“Lots of things.” Emily replied with a shrug. “There are takeout menus in the kitchen drawer. I'm in the mood for dumplings…what about you?”

“Hmm?” Hotch came out of his own thoughts. It was for the better anyway; he didn’t want to think about Morgan and Prentiss.

“We can get dumplings from Mandarin Mansion. It’s their specialty and they come in so many different types.”

“OK, that sounds fine. I’ll get the menu. Is there any in particular you want?”

“Seafood and veggie please.” Emily smiled as she flipped the channels. Her cell phone rang and she pulled it off her hip as Hotch walked into the kitchen. “Hey there.”

As he stood in the kitchen looking over the menu he could hear Emily on the phone. He immediately knew it was Morgan but he could only hear one side of the conversation. He stopped what he was doing to listen.

“No, I'm gonna be alright. No, for real, I have it under control.” Emily laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She laughed again. “No, no Morgan, I mean it. I'm not telling you. I'm not coming in tomorrow…our Unit Chief gave me the day off. Have fun with all that paperwork. Yeah, you can call me. Mmm hmm. Mmm hmm.” She laughed. “Goodnight, Derek, sweet dreams. Uh huh, bye.”

Emily turned her phone off and looked toward the kitchen.

“How about another beer?” She asked Hotch.

“Already?”

“I'm a fast drinker, you know that. Should we watch a movie since it looks like you're staying?”

“Should I go?” Hotch asked.

“Who’s gonna get up and pay for the food when it comes? I've tried but I'm just not home enough to teach George to answer the door.”

Hotch smirked, handing her the beer and taking the empty bottle. He stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, not sure where to do next. He knew he couldn’t stand in there all night so he just took a deep breath and went to sit next to Emily on the couch.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Mmm, that’s a loaded question.”

“OK, I’ll rephrase.” Hotch grinned. “What movie do you want to watch?”

“How about _Conspiracy_? I'm in the mood for Nazis with British accents and Stanley Tucci.”

“I've never seen it.”

“Oh my God, Hotch, you are in for a treat. Its amazing…Stanley Tucci is amazing. It’s over in the DVD thingamajig; go and get it.”

“Yes ma'am.”

***

Halfway through the movie and all the way through the dumplings, Hotch and Emily were cuddling on the couch. She was in his arms, her head resting near his shoulder. Hotch was watching the movie, it was pretty good. It wasn’t as good as Emily in his arms but it was good. He hadn’t had an early evening in too long to recall; this wasn’t a bad way to spend one.

“Aaron?”

“Yes?” He was surprised by the sound of her voice, especially when she said his first name. Hotch thought she fell asleep.

“I lied to you earlier.” Emily said.

“About what?”

“I took some medicine after we got off the plane.”

“What?” He moved some and that caused Emily to do the same. “You had three beers, Emily.”

“Mmm hmm.” She nodded.

“What were you thinking?”

“The doctor didn’t prescribe a narcotic, Hotch; it was Motrin.”

“But it was 1600 milligrams. I really wish you would’ve been honest with me.”

“I'm sorry. I just…”

“What?” Hotch softened his tone. He didn’t want to be angry with her. Her actions weren't going to kill her, even if they weren't that bright. She was in enough pain though she probably felt good right about now.

“I don’t think I'm gonna make it up the stairs and it’s definitely bedtime.”

“Oh.” He nodded, grabbing the remote and turning off the DVD. Then he turned off the television. He looked at her. “You're not going to fight me this time, are you?”

“I won't.” Emily crossed her fingers over her heart.

Hotch smiled, coming over and picking her up into his arms. Emily slid her arms around his neck. He took her up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bedroom. Turning on the light, Hotch carried her over to the bed. He placed her gently on the mattress.

Without any words, he got down on his knees and took off her shoes. Emily hadn’t done it earlier because it was just too difficult. He put the shoes by the nightstand as Emily pulled off her shirt. He was surprised when he stood and she was topless.

“Emily…”

“What's the matter?”

“I…nothing. Do you want me to help you undress?”

She nodded, leaning back so he could get her jeans off. She unbuttoned and unzipped them, lifting her hips so Hotch could slide them off. He did it, going over to her drawer to grab a tee shirt. When she had it on, Emily did a funny thing with her arms and the bra came out of one of the sleeves.

“How did you do that?” He asked.

“I'm not telling you.” She replied.

“Why not?”

“Because secrets make a woman desirable.”

“They are not the only thing that make a woman desirable.”

“C'mere.” She called him over to the bed with her finger.

“Do you need something?” He asked.

“I need you to take off your clothes and get in this bed with me.”

“You need to sleep, Emily.”

“I will, with you Agent Hotchner. Don’t make me come and get you.”

Now Hotch was grinning. He undressed, folding his clothes and putting them in the chair on the other side of the room. In his boxers, he helped Emily up from the bed. He moved the covers back and Emily got in. Then he slid in, taking her into his arms.

“I should've carried you to the hospital.” He said.

“Morgan didn’t carry me to the hospital, Hotch, just to the car.”

“Still…”

“No, not still. We all did what we were supposed to do. I'm going to be fine. We’re home, I'm with you, and I’m getting a four day weekend. I think that’s a win-win.”

“Your tackling days are over.” Hotch replied.

“What about you, are you in the mood for some tackling?”

“You're…”

“I'm not drunk.” Her tone was firm.

“No,” Hotch shook his head. “But you're a little loopy. I think you need to sleep.”

Emily thought he needed to make love to her. It had been so long she’d nearly forgotten what it felt like. Hotch was so difficult. She knew he always felt like he was weak when they succumbed to their passion. Things were slowly starting to change between them. Since the explosion in New York, they had gotten closer.

Hotch started to open up, let her in to more than just his bed. And after Colorado and the religious compound their relationship changed even more. All of that happened months ago. The two of them still hadn’t found steady ground. She knew she wanted to be more than bed buddies, no matter how excellent he was in that endeavor.

“I want you, Aaron.” She kissed him, moving onto her back and bringing him with her.

“I want you too, you know that.”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“Well we’ll talk in the morning.” Hotch kissed her again. He moaned when Emily deepened the kiss. She was touching him and his resolve began to crumble. Pulling away, catching his breath, Hotch took her hands in his. “We’ll talk about it all in the morning. I promise.”

Hotch didn’t make promises he wasn’t going to keep. He knew he’d kept her waiting too long. While he was unsure of the words that would come out of his mouth, he knew he needed to say something. He wasn’t a sex guy. That didn’t mean sex wasn’t enjoyable; it was downright amazing with Emily.

Since there had only been one person he’d been intimate with for two decades, Hotch didn’t have a wide frame of reference. She opened his eyes to feelings in the pit of his stomach that he hadn’t experienced in a long time…maybe he never had. But with that euphoria came everything else. Everything else was the issue. Hotch had enough issues and he wasn’t sure he wanted to add to the mix.

“You're lucky that I'm too woozy to argue.” Emily settled in his arms. She loved the feel of his body against hers.

“You're probably right about that. How's your ankle?”

“Oh I don’t feel a thing. Miller High Life for the win!”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. You're right, its bedtime. The faster I go to sleep, the faster I can wake up and do all kinds of naughty things to your body.”

Hotch laughed, kissing her one more time before they both fell asleep. She wasn’t the only one who wanted the morning to come. He would be there to make sure she felt good, her ankle and anywhere else she desired.

***

  



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